iPod Shuffle Challenge
by GrandiloquentHeartlessness
Summary: A collection of very short, unrelated oneshots inspired by music. Written for the iPod Shuffle Challenge hence the title


iPod shuffle challenge:

1. Choose a fandom or ship to write about.

2. Turn on your music player to shuffle/random

3. Based on whatever song comes on, write a fanfiction

4. Here's the catch- you only have the time while the song is playing to write. After the song ends, you MUST move on to a story inspired by the next song. (This gives you an average of 4 minutes per story.)

5. Write ten of these.

* * *

_"Courage"_ by Superchick-

Kat stared at her reflection in the huge guilt mirror above her dresser. Her cheeks were sallow, sunken in, her hair was dry, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

She pinched the skin that hung too loosely off her high cheekbones, and despaired of her fat.

"Katarina!" her mother called. "Jamie's here to see you!"

Kat sighed and opened the door of her bedroom. Despite her black mood, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of him.

His eyebrows knit when he saw her. "Kat?"

"Hi!" she looked up at him and held open her arms.

He carefully folded his arms around her. She felt like she would break if he wasn't careful. She was all skin and bones. He took a step back "You look…" Jamie hesitated "Really good." His voice went up at the end, making his statement sound like a question.

Kat didn't notice his tone, though. All she heard was "really good", and she smiled. The diet was working.

* * *

_"Bird"_ by Holly Conlan

Sadie stared at the necklace on her bedroom floor. She hadn't seen it in months, but it brought back a horrible flood of emotions.

It was the dancer pendant Tommy had given her.

The memories were unstoppable.

Italy- the best week of her life. Running her fingers through his hair, getting back together with him after she'd given him an ultimatum she hadn't meant- "You got your wish". His eyes and his guitar playing and the beautiful red flowers he'd given her after Latin Quarter.

"Sadie?" Kwest asked from behind her. "What's wrong?"

Sadie shook her head to clear it of the emotions, and picked up the necklace, shoving it unceremoniously into her sock drawer.

"Nothing." She smiled. "Dropped a necklace. No big deal."

She would retrieve it later and put it under her pillow.

* * *

_"Dance Inside"_ by All American Rejects-

It was all sensation, all physical. It was like drinking, or any of the other vices Tom had tried in the last two months.

The girl was a model- of course- blonde- obviously- and drunk- even more than he was.

He didn't even know her name.

Tommy froze.

It wasn't right. Wasn't working. Wasn't making him numb emotionally like he wanted to be.

It wasn't pushing _her_ eyes or her hair or her lips or her guitar-callused hands out of his mind.

It was making it worse. Giving him an unbearable feeling that he was betraying Jude.

The girl whined "Why'd you stop?"

Tommy looked down at her, shook his head, put back on his clothes, and stumbled out the door without saying a word.

* * *

_"Hold Me Tight"_ by The Beatles (This particular version is the one from Across the Universe, though I do have the original.)

Jamie and Zeppelin were sitting doing paperwork.

As always, Zeppelin had a song stuck in her head. No longer being able to contain it, she started to hum.

Jamie turned to her. "Is that by the Beatles?"

Zeppelin blushed a little and nodded. "It's _Hold Me Tight_."

Jamie started to sing.

_"It feels so right  
Now hold me tight  
Tell me I'm the only one  
And then I might  
Never be the lonely one_

_So hold me tight  
Tonight, tonight  
It's you, you you you"_

Zeppelin laughed and joined in. Jamie pulled her off the couch and spun her.

_"Don't know what it means to hold you tight  
Being here alone tonight with you  
It feels so right_

_Now hold me tight  
Tell me I'm the only one  
And then I might  
Never be the lonely one_

_So hold me tight  
Tonight, tonight  
It's you, you you you"_

Zeppelin nearly fell off the couch they were jumping on. Jamie caught her. "Woah! Careful!"

She looked up at him and her breath caught a little bit in her throat. "_It feels so right_" she sang softly. There was a pause.

"I love you." Jamie said softly.

"I love you too." She replied.

* * *

_"Popular"_ from Wicked

_It really is sad._ Karma thought. The receptionist girl had the potential to be very pretty, when you got past the split ends, horrible clothes, and glasses.

"Contacts, mascara, conditioner, a new dress. Oh… and a better bra definitely." Karma muttered tilting her head and staring at her.

As Karma watched, the girl stammered and blushed when a cute contestant asked her a question.

Karma tsked. "Needs to be more assertive."

Zeppelin took off her glasses to clean them and Karma smiled.

"Well, she's no _me_, but she definitely has potential."

* * *

_"I Should Tell You"_ from RENT-

"I just don't want to see anyone get hurt, like Angie did." Darius's words echoed in Tommy's head.

He had to tell her. Had to tell her what he'd done.

He had to be courageous enough.

His relationship with Jude was just starting to iron itself out.

He had to come clean.

_I should tell you._

* * *

_"Play"_ by Kate Nash

The final note died out and Jude looked down at her fingers. To her surprise, they were bleeding.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, and looked at the clock. 7:30? She'd spent almost the entire day in her room, playing her guitar? Wow. A new personal record.

* * *

_"Dear Old Shiz"_ from Wicked-

"You know, Tommy" I'm going to miss this place, I mean… G Major! I learned so much from working here. I don't know how I'll live without it."

"Really?" Tom looked skeptical.

Jude looked around. "No. Not really."

* * *

_"Merry Happy"_ by Kate Nash

Chaz had been the one to tell her that Tommy liked her. What he said was actually "You know Tom's got the hots for you right?"

She hadn't even really believed him, even when Tom proposed.

"Portia, look."

"No Tommy! You can't do this! You can't!"

"I'm sorry."

"But I love you!" She grabbed his arm and pleaded. "Tommy, please!"

"Portia." He pushed her away. "Look. It didn't work out. I'm sorry."

They were always trying to be more mature than they were. They knew nothing about who they would become. Nothing.

No doubt, he made her happy. No doubt, she loved him more than almost anything.

The sunset looked Portia in the face, promising normalcy after the Angie fiasco. For the first time, she started to feel like she could enjoy something without Tommy.

_I can watch the sunset on my own, yeah. I can be alone. Take that lil' Tommy Q._

* * *

_"Night Drive"_ by All American Rejects

The cities all started to blur into one another as Megan sped down the highway.

His face was still imprinted on her mind. She couldn't get rid of it.

He had cheated on her, hurt her, but it didn't make her love him any less.

The radio blasted angry songs, and Megan was glad she had packed snacks- she wasn't sure if she could stop driving at this point.

The sun rose over the mountains and it hit her that she'd been driving all through the night.

She sighed. She hoped she could start over.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ THAT WAS SO COOL!!!!! I soooooo recommend you **all **try that challenge. First of all, I am such a musical person, but I've never been able to combine music and writing, really. Plus, it's __**crazy**__, writing that fast! Some of those stories were all serious, some of them were totally random (but "Dear Old Shiz", really?). Also, A SONGFIC! I _HATE_ songfics! Speaking of, "Hold Me Tight" was totally cheesy- but it's a cheesy song (But did you know I looooove Jamie/Zep? Betcha didn't). Plus, I wrote characters I've never done before. I had some Kat, some Portia, some Jommy (of course), Karma (I like that one), Sadie/Tommy, even _Megan_ (prepsychopath). Wow. Really. That was such an awesome experience._

_**DISCLAIMER: **INSTANT STAR IS THE SOLE PROPERTY OF IT'S CREATERS AND OF EPITOME PICTURES, AND I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN ITS CHARACTERS, PLOTS, OR ANYTHING ELSE RECOGNIZABLE_

_THE SONG _HOLD ME TIGHT _IS OWNED BY THE BEATLES WHOM I LOVE AND RESPECT IMMENSELY, AND WOULD NOT EVER INTEND TO STEAL FROM._


End file.
